On a night that Jordan Starr not only moved into fourth place all-time in career assists but also scored his 1,000th career point, The Master’s University men’s basketball team beat the Bethesda Flames 106-86 in a non-conference game at The MacArthur Center.

The Flames held a 56-55 advantage at the half and were tied with The Master’s at 66-66 with exactly 15 minutes to play in the game, but the Mustangs took off from there out-scoring Bethesda 40-20 in those final 15 to move to 7-3 on the season.

“They definitely have a lot of fire power,” Head Coach Kelvin Starr said about Bethesda. “They are a lot more gifted offensively then they have ever been.”

After Bethesda shot 20-of-32 (62.5%) in the first half, including 7-of-10 from 3-point range, the Mustangs defense slowed down the fast-paced Flames and held them to 10-of-34 (29.4%) in the second half. TMU, ranked eighth in the nation averaging 42.6 rebounds a game, also had a 42-29 advantage off the boards as well.

At the same time, TMU’s offense stayed consistent in both halves, hitting 21-of-37 in the first half and 20-of-36 in the second.

“Two things. We committed a little more on the defensive end, but fatigue started to effect (Bethesda),” Starr said about the second half surge. “Plus, we didn’t turn it over as much and we did a good job on the boards.”

It was certainly a night to remember for Jordan Starr. The 6-7 graduate student moved past Dave Humphreys into the No. 4 spot on the all-time assists list and now has 471 career assists. He finished the night with 12 points, five rebounds and six assists, one of five players to score in double figures.

“I’m obviously proud of him,” Coach Starr said. “It’s a longevity thing. He has always been an unselfish player and so credit to him for his consistency..

Jordan Caruso had a career-high 21 points and team-high seven rebounds, Caden Starr finished with 17, Christian Sweazie had 15 points hitting 5-of-7 3-pointers, and Kamrin Oriol added 13 off the bench.

It was the second time this season The Master’s scored more than 100 points in a game (113 vs. West Coast Baptist).

It’s back to GSAC play on Thursday as the Mustangs will have their first conference game on the road, traveling to San Dimas to take on the Life Pacific Warriors. Tip-off is 7:30 p.m.